Display Device

ABSTRACT

A display device includes a substrate having a display region with signal lines within the display region connected to respective terminals in a terminal group outside the display region via terminal wires, and an IC driver having bumps facing and connected to the terminals via an isotropic conductive film. The terminal wires have first, second, third and fourth terminal wires, and the terminals have a first terminal connected to the first terminal wire, a second terminal connected to the second terminal wire, a third terminal connected to the third terminal wire, and a fourth terminal connected to the fourth terminal wire. The first terminal and the second terminal are staggered with respect to each other, the second terminal and the third terminal are staggered with respect to each other, and the third terminal and the fourth terminal are staggered with respect to each other.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present invention is a continuation application of U.S. applicationSer. No. 12/816,544, filed Jun. 16, 2010, the contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

The present application claims priority over Japanese ApplicationsJP2009-144607 filed on Jun. 17, 2009 and JP2009-144604 filed on Jun. 17,2009, the contents of which are hereby incorporated into thisapplication by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a display device, and in particular, toa technology for connecting IC drivers to wires of which the pitch hasbecome smaller as the display devices are miniaturized, the definitionof the screens increases, and the IC drivers are miniaturized.

(2) Description of the Related Art

Liquid crystal display devices are formed such that pixel electrodes andthin film transistors (TFT's) are formed in a matrix on a TFT substrateto which a facing substrate, where color filters are formed in locationscorresponding to the pixel electrodes, is attached so that liquidcrystal is sandwiched between the TFT substrate and the facingsubstrate. Thus, the transmittance of light is controlled for each pixelby the liquid crystal molecules so that an image is formed.

A number of video signal lines running in the longitudinal direction andaligned in the lateral direction and a number of scan signal linesrunning in the lateral direction and aligned in the longitudinaldirection are formed on a TFT substrate, and pixels are formed in theregions surrounded by the video signal lines and the scan signal lines.Each pixel is mainly formed of a pixel electrode and a thin filmtransistor (TFT, which is a switching element). Thus, a great number ofpixels formed in a matrix form a display region. TFT's are formed in thedisplay region on the TFT substrate, and an inorganic passivation filmis formed on top and pixel electrodes are formed on top on this. Aninsulating film, such as of SiN, is formed as the inorganic passivationfilm, and a transparent conductive film, such as of ITO (indium tinoxide), is used for the pixel electrodes.

A terminal group for supplying signals (video signals) to video signallines and a terminal group for supplying signals (scan signals) to scansignal lines are formed around the outside of the display region on theTFT substrate. In addition, IC drivers (driver chips) bumps areconnected to these terminal groups. Here, as the definition of thescreen increases, the number of terminals connected to the IC driversincreases and the pitch between terminals decreases. In addition,decrease in the pitch between bumps as the IC drivers are miniaturizedalso becomes a factor that makes the pitch between terminals decrease.Thus, the area through which bumps formed on the IC drives and terminalsare connected cannot be secured sufficiently. JP2008-020791A describesthe configuration where the pitch between wires is smaller than thepitch between the bumps on the IC drivers, and the wires and the bumpsare connected in several staggered places so that the pitch between thebumps and the pitch between the wires match.

In the case where the display device is miniaturized and the framearound the display region becomes smaller, a structure where lead linesfor scan signal lines, in particular, are collected along one side ofthe display device is adopted. In this case, a large area is requiredfor all of the above described lead lines to be wired on one surface. Inorder to avoid this, the above described lead lines are wiredthree-dimensionally (in multiple layers) via insulating films in betweenso that the area for wiring can be reduced. Such a structure isdescribed in JP2004-53702A, for example.

In addition, wires formed in display devices are inspected to seewhether or not there is a short circuit at a stage before mounting ICdrivers during the manufacturing process for a display device. In thecase where a defect, such as short-circuiting of a wire, is discoveredat this stage, it is not necessary to carry out the subsequent steps onthe defective display device, and thus, the cost for manufacture can bereduced. In this case, the TFT switches driven at the time of inspectionare formed in the region where IC drivers are to be mounted, that is tosay, in the region that is to be hidden by the IC drivers mountedafterwards. JP2008-9246A describes a structure of a display device thatmakes this inspection step possible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As the definition of the display devices further increases and reductionin the width of the frame and miniaturization of IC drivers furtherprogress, the pitch between wires is further decreased. In liquidcrystal display devices, wires are covered with an insulating film, forexample, a passivation film, so that the wires are protected from theopen air. However, it is necessary to create contact holes in thisinsulating film in places to which bumps of IC drivers are connected sothat the wires are exposed. In addition, these contact hole portions arecovered with a chemically stable transparent conductive film, such as ofITO, so that the wires do not become corroded in the contact holeportions.

A predetermined area is necessary to create a contact hole. In addition,a predetermined contact area is necessary in order to secure thereliability in the connection between terminals and bumps. In order tosecure a contact hole area or in order to secure an area for contactbetween terminals and bumps, terminals may be staggered or zigzag as inJP2008-020791A. In the case where this configuration is adopted,however, the areas for other wires that run in parallel may be narrowed.Thus, in some cases, the width of the wires and the intervals betweenwires are smaller than those made possible by precision in the processfor wires.

An object of the present invention is to provide a display device wherethe area for terminals for the connection to IC drivers and apredetermined area for contact holes for terminals can be secured, thusmaking patterning of the wires possible even in the case where the pitchbetween wires becomes small as a result of an increase in thedefinition.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a display devicewhere the margin for inaccuracy in the mounting of IC drivers can beincreased in order to prevent short-circuiting.

The structure according to the present invention can be made as follows,for example.

(1) The present invention provides a display device having:

a substrate having a display region so that signal lines formed withinthe above described display region are connected to respective terminalsin a terminal group formed outside the above described display regionvia terminal wires; and

an IC driver having bumps respectively facing and being connected to theabove described terminals via an isotropic conductive film, and beingcharacterized in that

the above described terminals are arranged in multiple staggered placesin the direction in which the above described terminal wires run,

in the case where one of the adjacent terminals, which are located atthe same position, is a first terminal and the other is a secondterminal, the regions where the above described first terminal and theabove described second terminal are formed have a first portion of aterminal wire that is wider than the other portion and a second portionof the terminal wire which is adjacent to the above described firstportion in the direction in which the above described terminal wireruns, and the first portion and the second portion in the region wherethe above described first terminal is formed and the first portion andthe second portion in the region where the above described secondterminal is formed are staggered,

the above described first terminal and the above described secondterminal are formed of a transparent conductive film made of a wideportion for covering the contact hole created above the first portion ofthe terminal wire and a narrow portion provided so as to overlap thesecond portion of the terminal wire from above,

the other terminal wire adjacent to the above described first portion isformed so as to be bent in order to avoid interference with the abovedescribed first portion, and

the bump of the above described IC driver connected to the abovedescribed first terminal has a wide portion corresponding to the wideportion of the above described first terminal and a narrow portioncorresponding to the narrow portion of the above described firstterminal, and the bump of the above described IC driver connected to theabove described second terminal has a wide portion corresponding to thewide portion of the above described second terminal and a narrow portioncorresponding to the narrow portion of the above described secondterminal.

(2) The display device according to the present invention is a displaydevice, wherein

signal lines running within a display region are connected to terminalsformed outside the above described display region via terminal wires,and

the above described terminals include first terminals and secondterminals which are staggered in the direction in which the terminalwires run, and is characterized in that

the first terminal wires having the above described first terminalscomprise a first SD metal running from the above described displayregion side, a first gate metal and a first transparent conductive filmso that the above described first transparent conductive film covers afirst contact hole created in a wide portion of the above describedfirst SD metal and a second contact hole created in a wide portion ofthe above described first gate metal and is connected to the abovedescribed first SD metal and the above described first gate metal so asto form a first crossover portion,

the above described first terminals are formed by making the abovedescribed first transparent conductive film run so as to have a widthnarrower than the width of the regions where the above described firstcontact hole and the above described second contact hole are created,

the second terminal wires having the above described second terminalscomprise a second gate metal running from the above described displayregion side, a second SD metal and a second transparent conductive filmso that the above described second transparent conductive film covers athird contact hole created in a wide portion of the above describedsecond gate metal and a fourth contact hole created in a wide portion ofthe above described second SD metal and is connected to the abovedescribed second gate metal and the above described second SD metal soas to form a second crossover portion,

the above described second terminals are formed by making the abovedescribed second transparent conductive film run so as to have a widthnarrower than the width of the regions where the above described thirdcontact hole and fourth contact hole are created,

the above described first crossover portions in adjacent first terminalwires are staggered in the direction in which the above described firstterminal wires run, and second terminal wires adjacent to the abovedescribed first crossover portion are formed so as to be bent in orderto avoid interference with the above described first crossover portions,and

the above described second crossover portions in adjacent secondterminal wires are staggered in the direction in which the abovedescribed second terminal wires run, and first terminal wires adjacentto the above described second crossover portion are formed so as to bebent in order to avoid interference with the above described secondcrossover portions.

(3) The display device according to the present invention is a displaydevice, wherein

a number of signal lines running within a display region respectivelylead out to terminals in a terminal group formed outside the abovedescribed display region via terminal wires, and at the same time,connected to thin film transistors for inspection which are operable tobe connected to wires for inspection, and

the above described terminals include at least first terminals andsecond terminals which are provided so that adjacent terminals arestaggered in the direction in which terminal wires run, and ischaracterized in that

first terminal wires having the above described first terminals areformed where a gate metal running from the above described displayregion side is switched to an SD metal, the switching portion being madeof a transparent conductive film for covering both a first contact holecreated in a wide portion of the above described gate metal adjacent tothe above described SD metal and a second contact hole created in a wideportion of the above described SD metal adjacent to the above describedgate metal,

the above described first terminals are formed of the above describedtransparent conductive film overlapping the above described firstterminal wire outside the region where the above described first contacthole and the above described second contact hole are created so as torun with a width narrower than that of the region where the abovedescribed first contact hole and the above described second contact holeare created,

the second terminal wires having the above described second terminalsare formed of an SD metal running from the above described displayregion side,

the above described second terminals are formed of a transparentconductive film connected through a third contact hole created in a wideportion of the above described SD metal overlapping the above describedSD metal in a region where the above described third contact hole iscreated so as to extend with a width narrower than that of the regionwhere the above described contact hole is created,

the above described switching portions of the above described firstterminal wires are provided so as to be staggered in the direction inwhich the above described first terminal wires run, and the secondterminal wires adjacent to the above described switching portions areformed so as to be bent in order to avoid interference with the abovedescribed switching portions, and

regions of the above described second terminal wires where the abovedescribed third contact holes are created are provided so as to bestaggered in the direction in which the above described second terminalwires run, and the first terminal portions adjacent to the regions wherethe above described third contact holes are created are formed so as tobe bent in order to avoid interference with the regions where the abovedescribed third contact holes are created.

(4) The display device according to the present invention is a displaydevice, wherein

a number of signal lines running within a display region lead out toterminals in a terminal group formed outside the above described displayregion via terminal wires,

the above described terminals include at least first terminals andsecond terminals which are provided so as to be staggered in thedirection in which terminal wires run, and

the above described terminal wires are formed of a metal in the samelayer, and is characterized in that

first terminal wires having the above described first terminals have awide portion, and the above described first terminals are formed of atransparent conductive film connected through a first contact holecreated in the above described wide portion of the above described firstterminal wires overlapping the above described terminal wire outside theregion where the above described first contact hole is created so as torun towards the above described second terminals side with a widthnarrower than that of the region where the above described first contacthole is created,

second terminal wires having the above described second terminals have awide portion, and the above described second terminals are formed of atransparent conductive film connected through a second contact holecreated in the above described wide portion of the above describedsecond terminal wires overlapping the above described terminal wireoutside the region where the above described second contact hole iscreated so as to run towards the above described first terminals sidewith a width narrower than that of the region where the above describedsecond contact hole is created,

the regions of the above described first terminal wires in which theabove described first contact holes are created are provided so as to bestaggered in the direction in which the above described first terminalwires run, and the second terminal wires adjacent to the regions inwhich the above described first contact holes are created are formed soas to be bent in order to avoid interference with the region in whichthe above described first contact holes are created, and

the regions of the above described second terminal wires in which theabove described second contact holes are created are provided so as tobe staggered in the direction in which the above described secondterminal wires run, and the first terminal wires adjacent to the regionsin which the above described second contact holes are created are formedso as to be bent in order to avoid interference with the region in whichthe above described second contact holes are created.

Here, the above described structures are merely examples and variousmodifications are possible for the present invention as long as thetechnological ideas are not deviated from. In addition, examples of thestructures according to the present invention other than the abovedescribed structures will be clarified from the descriptions throughoutthe present specification and the drawings.

In the display device according to the present invention, the area ofthe terminals for the connection to IC drivers and a predetermined areain the terminals for contact holes can be secured, thus makingpatterning of the wires possible even in the case where the pitchbetween wires is small as a result of an increase in the definition.

In addition, in the display device according to the present invention,the margin for inaccuracy in the mounting of IC drivers can be increasedin order to prevent short-circuiting.

Other effects of the present invention will be clarified throughout thedescription of the specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan diagram showing the display device according to thesecond embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional diagram along line b-b in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional diagram along line c-c in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional diagram along line d-d in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a plan diagram showing the display device according to thethird embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional diagram along line b-b in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a plan diagram showing the display device according to thefourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional diagram along line b-b in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional diagram along line c-c in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a perspective diagram showing the exterior of a displaydevice;

FIG. 11 is a diagram for illustrating the connection between a displaydevice and an IC driver;

FIG. 12 is a plan diagram showing an example of a terminal structure ina display device;

FIG. 13 is a cross sectional diagram along line b-b in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a plan diagram showing another example of a terminalstructure in a display device;

FIG. 15 is a cross sectional diagram along line b-b in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a cross sectional diagram along line c-c in FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is a cross sectional diagram along line d-d in FIG. 14;

FIG. 18 is a plan diagram showing the display device according to thefirst embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a cross sectional diagram along line b-b in FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the relationship in the form betweenterminals (ITO) and bumps of an IC driver;

FIG. 21 is a cross sectional diagram for illustrating the effects of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 22 is a cross sectional diagram illustrating a disadvantage in thecase where the present invention is not applied.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments of the present invention are described below inreference to the drawings. Here, the same symbols are attached to thesame or similar components in the drawings and in the embodiments, andthe same descriptions are not repeated.

Here, prior to the description of a concrete structure of terminalsaccording to the present invention, the structure of liquid crystaldisplays and their terminal portions to which the present invention isapplied is described. Though an example of a liquid crystal displaydevice is cited for the description in the present specification, theinvention can be applied to other display devices, for example, organicEL display devices.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a liquid crystal display deviceto which the present invention is applied. FIG. 10 shows a compactliquid crystal display device that can be used in cellular phones. InFIG. 10, a facing substrate 200 is provided to a TFT substrate 100 wherepixel electrodes, thin film transistors (TFT's) and the like are formedin a matrix so as to face the TFT substrate 100. Color filters areformed on the facing substrate 200 so as to correspond to pixelelectrodes on the TFT substrate 100 so that pixels for colors areformed. Liquid crystal is sandwiched between the TFT substrate 100 andthe facing substrate 200. The region where the liquid crystal issandwiched form a display region made up of a large number of pixels.

Though not shown, a number of scan signal lines and a number of videosignal lines which cross these scan signal lines are formed in thedisplay region in such a manner that predetermined signals can besupplied through these signal lines so as to drive the above describedpixels, and these signal lines are connected to a below described ICdriver 300 through their terminals (indicated by the symbol 10 in FIG.11).

An IC driver 300 for driving each of the above described pixels ismounted on the region of the TFT substrate 100 which is exposed from thefacing substrate 200, and a flexible wiring substrate 500 for supplyingthe power and signals to the above described IC driver 300 from theoutside is connected to the region. As shown in FIG. 11, the IC driver300 is connected to terminals 10 on the TFT substrate 100 via ananisotropic conductive film 400.

The terminals 10 formed on the TFT substrate 100 are formed of a wiremetal, a contact hole and a transparent conductive film (ITO), which isclarified below, and simplified in FIG. 11. Bumps 310 are formed on thesurface of the IC driver 300 that faces the TFT substrate 100, and thesebumps 310 are electrically connected to the above described terminals 10via the anisotropic conductive film 400. The anisotropic conductive film400 is formed of a resin film in which conductive particles 410 aredispersed. The IC driver 300 adheres to the TFT substrate 100 throughpressure so that the terminals 10 and the bumps 310 are electricallyconnected through conductive particles 410.

FIGS. 12 and 13 are diagrams showing the details of terminal portionsformed on the TFT substrate 100. FIG. 12 is a plan diagram showing theterminal portions. The upper half of FIG. 12 shows a display region andthe lower half shows and end of the TFT substrate 100. FIG. 13 is across sectional diagram along line b-b in FIG. 12. In FIG. 12, terminals10 are formed and arranged in zigzag because the pitch between wires issmall. The pitch x between adjacent terminals 10 in the lateraldirection in the figure is 36 μm, for example. In FIG. 12, a gate metal50 is used for the terminal wires 15 in the lower layer. Here, the gateelectrodes for the thin film transistors (hereinafter, in some casesreferred to as TFT's) in the display region or a metal in the same layeras the gate electrodes are used for the gate metal 50, and therefore, itis referred to as gate metal. Here, the scan signal lines are alsoformed of the gate metal 50. Mo is used as the gate metal 50, forexample. As shown in FIG. 12, the gate metal 50 is formed so as to bewider in the terminal 10 portions than the wire portions in the frontand rear of the terminal portions. This is so in order to create contactholes 40. As shown in FIG. 13, a gate insulating film 55 and apassivation film 65 are formed and layered so as to cover the gate metal50, and the above described contact holes 40 are created in thepassivation film 65 and the gate insulating film 55. Here, the gateinsulating film 55 and the passivation film 65 are formed so as toprotect the gate metal 50.

The above described contact holes 40 expose part of the gate metal 50,and ITO 30, which is a transparent conductive film, is formed so as tocover the exposed gate metal 50. The ITO 30 is provided in order toprotect the gate metal 50, and at the same time, make the connectionwith the bumps 310 of the IC driver 300 possible. The ITO 30 is formedwider than the contact holes 40. Though in this embodiment ITO is usedfor the transparent contact film, another transparent conductive filmmay be used. In FIG. 12, the hatched regions indicate where the ITO 30is formed and the dotted line frames show the region that faces thebumps 310. The bumps 310 have approximately the same shape as the ITO 30but are slightly smaller. Here, the bumps 310 are not shown in FIG. 13.

As described above, the pitch x of adjacent terminals 10 is 36 μm inthis structure, which is possible to create through current processingtechnology. That is to say, in the case where the width of the gatemetal 50 in the terminal portions is 20 μm, the distance betweenadjacent terminals 10 in the lateral direction in the zigzag arrangementis 16 μm. One terminal wire 15 runs between the adjacent terminals 10,and thus, approximately 5.3 μm can be secured as both the width of thisterminal wire 15 and the distance between this terminal wire 15 andadjacent terminals 10, and therefore, it is possible to provide thisstructure through conventional microscopic processing. This means thatmicroscopic processing is difficult in the case where the pitch xbetween adjacent terminals 10 is less than 36 μm.

FIGS. 14, 15, 16 and 17 show an example of the structure of terminalportions in a case where the pitch between wires is further smaller.FIG. 14 is a plan diagram showing terminal portions. The upper half ofFIG. 14 shows a display region and the lower half shows an end of a TFTsubstrate 100. FIG. 15 is a cross sectional diagram along line b-b inFIG. 14, FIG. 16 is a cross sectional diagram along line c-c in FIG. 14,and FIG. 17 is a cross sectional diagram along line d-d in FIG. 14. Theterminal portions shown in FIGS. 14, 15, 16 and 17 are characterized inthat terminal wires 15 have a two-layer structure of a gate metal 50 andan SD metal 60. Here, a metal in the same layer as the source/drainelectrodes of the TFT's in the display region is used for the SD metal60, and therefore, this is referred to as SD metal. Here, video signallines are also formed of the SD metal. Al is used for the SD metal 60,for example. A gate insulating film 55 provides interlayer insulationbetween the gate metal 50 and the SD metal 60. Here, the hatched regionsin FIG. 14 are ITO 30.

In FIG. 14, terminal wires k, l, m and n lead out from the displayregion by means of the gate metal 50. The terminal wire k and theterminal wire m are switched to the SD metal 60 via contact holes 42 forwiring before they enter into the terminal portions. This structure isshown in FIG. 17, which shows a cross section along d-d along theterminal wire m.

In FIG. 17, the gate metal 50 extends to the portion for a contact hole42 for wiring from the display region side. The contact hole 42 forwiring is created in the gate insulating film 55 and passivation film 65so as to expose part of the gate metal 50. Meanwhile, a terminal wire 15(terminal wire m) is formed of the SD metal 60 on the terminal 10 side.A contact hole 41 for wiring is created in the passivation film 65 onthe terminal 10 side so as to expose part of the SD metal 60, which isthe terminal wire 15 (terminal wire m). The ITO 30 covers both thecontact hole 42 for wiring and the contact hole 41 for wiring so thatthe gate metal 50 and the terminal 10 are connected. The terminal wire khas the same structure.

Accordingly, the terminal wire k and the terminal wire m are provided byusing the SD metal 60 as the terminal wires for the terminals 10.Meanwhile, the terminal wire l and the terminal wire n are provided byusing the gate metal 50 that extends from the display region as theterminal wires for the terminals 10. Therefore, the terminal wires 15that are wide in the terminal 10 portions (made of the SD metal 60 inthe upper half of the zigzag arrangement in the figure and made of thegate metal 50 in the lower half of the figure) and the terminal wires 15that are narrow running along the terminal 10 (made of the gate metal 50in the upper half of the zigzag arrangement in the figure and made ofthe SD metal 60 in the lower half of the figure) are formed in differentlayers. A process is carried out layer by layer in accordance with aphotolithographic technology, and therefore, no problem with theresolution arises during exposure to light.

FIG. 15 shows this state. In FIG. 15, the contact hole 41 for wiringconnects the ITO 30 to the SD metal 60. The terminal wire 15 that isnarrow running along the thick terminal wire 15 (SD metal 60) is formedof the gate metal 50. Thus, the margin in microscopic processing can beincreased in comparison with the case where the terminal wires for theterminals 10 are formed in the same layer. That is to say, in FIG. 15,the distance between wires of the gate metal 50 that is in the firstlayer is d1 and the distance between wires of the SD metal 60 that is inthe second layer is d2, and thus, they are large in comparison with thedistance d3 between wires in the case where the terminal wires 15 areall arranged in the same layer.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, which shows another cross section ofthe terminal portions, the contact holes 41 for wiring connect the gatemetal 50 to the ITO 30. The terminal wire 15 that is narrow runningalong the thick terminal wire 15 (gate metal 50) is formed of the SDmetal 60. The gate metal 50 and the SD metal 60 are formed in differentlayers, and therefore, the margin in the photolithographic process,particularly exposure to light, can be increased in comparison with thecase where they are formed in the same layer. In this case, the distancebetween the gate metal 50 wires is d1 and the distance between the SDmetal 60 wires is d2, and thus, they are large in comparison with thedistance d3 in the case where all the wires are formed in the samelayer.

Though the structure shown in FIGS. 14, 15, 16 and 17 can overcome theproblem with the resolution during the process for exposing terminalportions to light, it is inevitable for the wires in the terminalportions to have a two-layer structure. In the case of a two-layerstructure, a problem with the matching of photomasks arises during thephotolithographic process. In addition, in some cases, the gate metal 50in the first layer and the SD metal 60 in the second layer overlap inthe two-layer wires due to inaccuracy in the position of the mask. Insuch a case, the contact may be made between the gate metal 50 and theSD metal 60 when the insulating film is broken by a bump 310 of the ICdriver 300 adhering through pressure, and a problem may arise when suchcontact may be made between terminal wires to which different signalsare applied.

Taking these problems into consideration, it is better to form wires inthe terminal portions in one layer, if possible.

First Embodiment

FIGS. 18 and 19 show the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.18 is a plan diagram showing terminal portions, and the upper half inthe figure shows a display region and the lower half shows an end of aTFT substrate 100. FIG. 19 is a cross sectional diagram along line b-bin FIG. 18.

In FIG. 18, terminal wires made of a gate metal 50 run from the displayregion side. The gate metal 50 has wide portions and narrow portions inthe terminal portions. Contact holes 41 for a terminal are created inthe wide portions of the gate metal 50. A certain width is necessary tocreate contact holes 41 for a terminal. Meanwhile, no contact holes 40are created in the narrow portions of the gate metal 50 in the terminalportions. It is not necessary for the gate metal 50 to be wide, unlesscontact holes 40 are created.

This configuration is characterized in that one terminal 10 has a firstportion 11 and a second portion 12, and a contact hole 41 for a terminalis created in the first portion 11 in order to connect the gate metal 50to the ITO 30. Meanwhile, no contact hole 40 is created in the secondportion 12, and only ITO 30 is formed on the passivation film 65. TheITO 30 in this portion is used solely for the connection to a bump 310of an IC driver 300. Here, the thus formed ITO 30 corresponds to aterminal 10 in this, first embodiment, and ITO 30 and terminals 10 aresynonymous in the following description. Here, when one of two adjacentterminals 10 in the same row (terminal 10 in the top row in the figure,for example) is a first terminal (terminal 10 in the terminal wire 1,for example) and the other terminal is a second terminal (terminal 10 inthe terminal wire n, for example), the first portion 11 and the secondportion in the region where the first terminal is formed, and the firstportion 11 and the second portion in the region where the secondterminal is formed are staggered.

In FIG. 18, the ITO 30 in the terminal portions is hatched. The ITO 30has approximately the same shape as the gate metal 50 in the firstportion 11, but is wider than the gate metal 50 in the second portion 12(one dot chain line in the figure). The ITO 30 in the second portion 12is narrower than the ITO 30 in the first portion 11.

Portions corresponding to the bumps 310 of the IC driver 300 are shownby dotted lines in FIG. 1. In this, first embodiment, the abovedescribed bumps 310 have a wide portion corresponding to the wideportion of the terminal 10 and a narrow portion corresponding to thenarrow portion of the terminal 10. Though the area of the contact holes41 for a terminal is smaller, as described above, the area of contactbetween the bumps 310 and the ITO 30 is almost the same as in the priorart, and therefore, sufficient strength of adhesion can be securedbetween the IC driver 300 and the terminals 10. FIG. 20 is a diagramshowing an enlargement of terminals 10 and bumps 310 of an IC driver300, which are positioned as described above. In the figure, one dotchain line frames are the ITO 30 (terminals 10), and dotted line framesare bumps 310. As is clear from FIG. 20, the bumps 310 of the IC driver300 are wide in the wide portion of the ITO 30 and narrow in the narrowportions of the ITO 30. In addition, the bumps 310 are formed so as tobe slightly narrower than the ITO both in the wide and narrow portions.In addition, FIG. 20 shows a terminal 10 corresponding to the abovedescribed first terminal, and a terminal 10 corresponding to the secondterminal aligned next to it. As is clear from FIG. 20, the wide portionand the narrow portion of the bump 310 that is connected to the terminal10 corresponding to the first terminal (terminal 10 on the left in thefigure, for example), and the wide portion and the narrow portion of thebump 310 that is connected to the terminal 10 corresponding to thesecond terminal (terminal 10 on the right in the figure) are staggeredin the arrangement.

In FIG. 19, the terminal wires in the terminal portions are all in thesame layer and formed of the same material (gate metal 50). Accordingly,adjacent terminal wires are formed in the same layer. The gate metal 50is wide in the first portion 11 where a contact hole 41 for a terminalis created, and other portions (including the second portion 12) arenarrower than the first portion 11. In FIG. 19, a gate insulating film55 is formed on top of the gate metal 50 and a passivation film 65 isformed on top of the gate insulating film 55. A contact hole 41 for aterminal is created in the portion of the terminal wire l thatcorresponds to the first portion 11, so that the ITO 30 and the gatemetal 50 make contact. A terminal wire m runs along the right side ofthe terminal wire l at a certain distance from it, and the secondportion 12 of a terminal wire is to the right of the terminal wire m.The gate metal 50 is narrow in the portion of the terminal wire ncorresponding to the second portion 12, and as wide as the terminal wirem. Meanwhile, ITO 30 is located above the terminal wire n with the gateinsulating film 55 and the passivation film 65 in between. This ITO 30is connected to the gate metal 50 through the contact hole 41 for aterminal created in the first portion 11 of the terminal wire n. Thegate metal 50 is narrow in the second portion 12 of the terminal wire n,and therefore, the distance d4 between the gate metal 50 may be largeenough that patterning through exposure to light is possible when thegate metal 50 is formed in the same plane.

The details are described below in reference to FIG. 18. In FIG. 18, thegate metal 50 is wider in the first portion 11 of the terminal wire lthan in the second portion 12. Other terminal wires k and m made of thegate metal 50 adjacent to the terminal wire l are narrower than thefirst portion 11 of the terminal wire l in the region adjacent to thefirst portion 11, and formed so as to bend outward, away from the firstportion of the terminal wire l. The terminal wires k and m are formed soas to bend outward, so that the distance between the first portion 11 ofthe terminal wire l, which is wide, and the terminal wire k or m islarge enough that patterning is possible through exposure to light.

In this case, the terminal wires k and m bend outward, and there is arisk that the distance from the adjacent terminal wire may be too small.As shown in FIG. 28, however, the terminal wire n adjacent to theterminal wire m is the terminal 10 where no contact hole 41 for aterminal is created in the portion where the terminal wire 10 bends, forexample. That is to say, this portion provides the structure of thesecond portion 12 of the terminal 10. In addition, the terminal wire nis as narrow as other portions in the second portion 12 where no contacthole 40 is created. Accordingly, the distance between the terminal wiren and the terminal wire m is large enough to make patterning throughexposure to light possible. In this structure, patterning for wiresthrough exposure to light is possible even when the pitch x of terminals10 is 34 μm or less, as in FIGS. 18 and 19.

Furthermore, FIG. 21, which corresponds to FIG. 19, is a cross sectionaldiagram showing the positional relationship between the ITO 30 and thebumps 310 of an IC driver 300. In the present embodiment, as describedabove and shown in FIG. 21, bumps 310 are formed so as to have a wideportion corresponding to the wide portion of the ITO 30 and a narrowportion corresponding to the narrow portion of the ITO 30. Therefore,the bump 310 (310 a in the figure) connected to the ITO 30 (30 a in thefigure) on top of the terminal wire l and the bump 310 (310 b in thefigure) connected to the ITO 30 (30 b in the figure) on top of theterminal wire n have a different width in FIG. 21.

In this case, neither the distance XT between the ITO 30 a and the bump310 b adjacent to the bump 310 a of the IC driver 300 connected to thisITO 30 a, nor the distance XT between the ITO 30 b and the bump 310 aadjacent to the bump 310 b of the IC driver 300 connected to this ITO 30b is small, and thus, a maximal distance can be secured. Accordingly,even when the pitch of the terminal wires is small, such effects can begained that a margin can be secured for preventing short-circuiting dueto inaccurate mounting of the IC driver 300.

Incidentally, FIG. 22 corresponds to FIG. 21 and shows a structure wherethe bumps 310 of the IC driver 300 have only thick portionscorresponding to the width of the first portions 11 of the ITO 30. Inthis case, the distance XT1 between the ITO 30 a in the first portion 11of the terminal wire l and the bump 310 b adjacent to the bump 310 a ofthe IC driver 300 connected to this ITO 30 a is smaller than thedistance XT2 (having the same value as XT in FIG. 21) between the ITO 30b in the second portion of the terminal wire n and the bump 310 aadjacent to the bump 310 b of the IC driver 300 connected to this ITO 30b. Thus, there is a difference between the distance XT1 and the distanceXT2, because there is a difference in the width of the terminal wirebetween the first portion 11 and the second portion 12 and the ITO 30 isformed in accordance with the width. In this case, a small pitch of theterminal wires is disadvantageous, in that the terminal in the firstportion 11 of the terminal wire l has a small margin forshort-circuiting due to inaccuracy when the IC driver 300 is mounted.

In the above described embodiment, the terminal wires are formed of thegate metal 50. However, the invention is not limited to this, and theymay be formed of the SD metal 60, for example.

The following embodiments provide a structure where there is a largermargin for short-circuiting due to inaccuracy when the IC driver 300 ismounted.

Second Embodiment

FIGS. 1 to 4 show the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1is a plan diagram showing the second embodiment. The upper half of FIG.1 shows a display region, and the lower half of the figure shows an endof the TFT substrate 100. FIG. 2 is a cross sectional diagram along lineb-b in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a cross sectional diagram along line c-c inFIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a cross sectional diagram along line d-d inFIG. 1. In this, second embodiment, terminal wires 15 have a two-layerstructure of a gate metal 50 and an SD metal 60. Though the presentinvention can also be used in cases where there is only one layer ofwires in the terminal portions, as in the third embodiment, the terminalwires 15 are allowed to have a two-layer structure when the disadvantageof inaccuracy in the positioning of the mask during thephotolithographic process in FIGS. 14 to 17 is unimportant.

In FIG. 1, terminal wires k and m lead out from the display regionthrough an SD metal 60, for example, and switch to the gate metal 50 viathe contact hole 42 for a wire and the contact hole 41 for a terminalbefore entering the terminal portion. In this case, the portions wherethe terminal wires 15 are switched are slightly staggered in thedirection in which the terminal wires 15 run, as in the above describedembodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal wire m is made of the SDmetal 60 extending from the display region to the contact hole 42 for awire. The contact hole 42 for a wire is created in the passivation film65 so as to expose part of the SD metal 60. Meanwhile, a terminal wire15 (terminal wire m) is formed of the gate metal 50 on the terminal 10side. A contact hole 41 for a terminal is created in the gate insulatingfilm 55 and the passivation film 65 on the terminal 10 side, so as toexpose part of the gate metal 50 which is the terminal wire 15 (terminalwire m). In this case, the contact hole 42 for a wire and the contacthole 41 for a terminal are provided in order to electrically connect theSD metal 60 to the gate metal 50 and the below described ITO 30 whichfunctions as a terminal 10. That is to say, the contact hole 41 for aterminal is created in a different portion from the below describedterminal 10, and the contact hole 41 and the terminal 10 are adjacent toeach other in the direction in which the terminal wire m runs. As aresult, the contact hole 41 for a terminal is relatively short in thedirection in which the terminal wire m runs, as is the wide portion ofthe gate metal 50. The ITO 30 is formed so as to cover both the contacthole 42 for a wire and the contact hole 41 for a terminal, so that theSD metal 60 and the gate metal 50 are electrically connected. In thiscase, the ITO 30 runs vertically in FIG. 1 and overlaps with the gatemetal 50 so as to form a relatively long terminal 10. This terminal 10is slightly wider than the gate metal 50, and narrower than the SD metal60 in the contact hole 42 for a wire and the gate metal 50 in thecontact hole 41 for a terminal. The terminal wire k has the samestructure. As a result, the terminals 10 of the terminal wire k and theterminal wire m are formed in portions facing the bumps 310 of the ICdriver 300 (dot line frames in the figure) with a passivation film 65 inbetween above the gate metal 50. Here, the terminals 10 of the terminalwire k and the terminal wire m are staggered in the arrangement, in thetop rows in the figure.

Meanwhile, the terminal wire l and the terminal wire n form terminals 10of ITO 30, which are aligned so as to be staggered in the lower half inthe figure, where the gate metal 50 running from the display regionoverlaps with the terminal wires 15 through contact holes 41 for aterminal. In the terminal wire l, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, thegate metal 50 extends to the contact hole 41 for a terminal from thedisplay region. The contact hole 41 for a wire is created in the gateinsulating film 55 and the passivation film 65 so as to expose part ofthe gate metal 50. In addition, the above described gate metal 50 isswitched to the SD metal 60, and part of the above described SD metal 60is exposed through the contact hole 42 for a wire formed on thepassivation film 65. In this case, the contact hole 42 for a wire andthe contact hole 41 for a terminal are provided in order to electricallyconnect the gate metal 50 to the SD metal 60 through the below describedITO 30 that works as a terminal 10. That is to say, the contact hole 41for a terminal is created in a different portion from the belowdescribed terminal 10, and the contact hole 41 and the terminal 10 areadjacent to each other in the direction in which the terminal wire lruns. As a result, the contact hole 41 for a terminal is relativelyshort in the direction in which the terminal wire l runs, as is the wideportion of the gate metal 50. The ITO 30 is formed so as to cover boththe contact hole 42 for a wire and the contact hole 41 for a terminal,so that the gate metal 50 and the SD metal 60 are electricallyconnected. In this case, the ITO 30 runs vertically in FIG. 1 andoverlaps with the gate metal 55 so as to form a relatively long terminal10. This terminal 10 is slightly wider than the gate metal 50, andnarrower than the gate metal 50 in the contact hole 41 for a terminaland the SD metal 60 in the contact hole 42 for a wire. The terminal wiren has the same structure. Accordingly, the terminals 10 of the terminalwire l and the terminal wire n are formed in portions connected to thebumps 310 of the IC driver 300 (dot line frames in the figure) with apassivation film 65 in between above the gate metal 50. Here, theterminals 10 of the terminal wire l and the terminal wire n arestaggered in the arrangement, in the bottom rows in the figure.

Here, the portions of the terminal wires k and m which are adjacent tothe portions where the terminal wires k and m are switched to theterminal wires l and n (regions where the contact hole 42 for a wire andthe contact hole 41 for a terminal are created) are formed so as to bendin order to avoid interference with the above described switchingportions. In addition, the portions of the terminal wires l and n whichare adjacent to the portions where the terminal wires l and n areswitched to the terminal wires k and m (regions where the contact hole41 for a terminal and the contact hole 42 for a wire are created) areformed so as to bend in order to avoid interference with the abovedescribed switching portions. This is in order to position adjacentterminal wires close to each other.

FIG. 4 shows a cross section along the top row of terminals 10 in thefigure from among the terminals 10 that are staggered in thearrangement. FIG. 4 also shows an IC driver 300 with bumps 310 that areconnected to the terminals 10. In FIG. 4, terminal wires k, l, m and nare formed of a gate metal 50 on the upper surface of the substrate 100,and a gate insulating film 55 and a passivation film 65 are layered onthe upper surface of these terminal wires k, l, m and n. In addition,terminals 10 are formed of ITO 30 on the upper surface of thepassivation film 65 so as to overlap with the terminal wires k and m. Nocontact holes 41 for a terminal are created in the terminals 10, whichare part of the IPO 30 connected to the bumps 310 of the IC driver 300in order to make contact with the terminal wire k or m. The contactholes 41 for a terminal are created outside the region where the abovedescribed terminals 10 are formed. Therefore, the terminals 10 formed soas to overlap with the terminal wires k and m are formed so as to beslightly wider than the terminal wires k and m, and narrower than theITO 30 formed in the contact holes 41 for a terminal.

As a result, neither the distance XT between the ITO 30 on top of theterminal wire k (indicated by 30 a in the figure) and the bump 310adjacent to the bump 310 of the IC driver 300 connected to this ITO 30 a(indicated by 310 a in the figure), nor the distance XT between the ITO30 on top of the terminal wire m (indicated by 30 b in the figure) andthe bump 310 a adjacent to the bump 310 b of the IC driver 300 connectedto this ITO 30 b is small, and thus, a maximal distance can be secured.Accordingly, even when the pitch of the terminal wires is small, amargin can be secured for preventing short-circuiting due to inaccuratemounting of the IC driver 300.

Third Embodiment

During the process for manufacturing a display device, there is a stepof inspecting wires formed in the display device for short-circuiting ata stage before the IC driver is mounted. TFT switches, inspection wiresand the like required for this inspection are formed in a region wherethe IC driver is to be mounted; that is to say, in the region that ishidden once the IC driver is mounted. There is a strong demand forlarger display regions and smaller frames in display devices. It ispreferable for the area occupied by the TFT switches, the inspectionwires and the like for inspection to be as small as possible, in orderto make the frame smaller.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show the configuration according to the third embodiment,where the pitch between wires in the terminal portions, as well as thearea occupied by the TFT's 100 for inspection and the wires 150 forinspection, is small. FIG. 5 is a plan diagram showing the presentembodiment. The upper half of FIG. 5 shows a display region, and thelower half of the figure shows an end of a TFT substrate 100. In FIG. 5,the region TE in the upper half of the figure provides terminal portionsfor connection to an IC driver 300, and a region TFT where TFT's 110 forinspection are formed is provided beneath the region TE in the figure,and furthermore, a region TL where wires 150 for inspection are formedis provided at the bottom in the figure.

In the configuration in FIG. 5, a region where switching terminals forswitching the terminal wires 15 from the gate metal 50 to the SD metal60 are formed is not required between the region TE and the region TFT.As a result, the region occupied by the TFT switches for inspection, thewires for inspection and the like is small. This structure can beachieved by forming the terminal wires k, l, m and n running in a layerbeneath the terminals 10 of an SD metal 60 in the region TE. That is tosay, in FIG. 5, the terminal wires k and m lead out from the displayregion through a gate metal 50, for example, and switch to an SD metal60 through the contact hole 42 for a wire and the contact hole 41 for aterminal before reaching the terminals 10. The terminal wires l and nlead out from the display region through an SD metal 60, and this SDmetal extends to the contact hole 41 for a terminal. As a result, theterminal wires k, l, m and n are all formed of an SD metal 60 beforereaching the region TFT where TFT's 110 for inspection are formed, andthus can be electrically connected to the source/drain of the TFT's 110for inspection without requiring switching. This is because the TFT's110 for inspection are formed parallel to the TFT's within the pixels,and the source/drain electrodes are formed of the SD metal 60.

Here, the configuration in the above described region TE is differentfrom the configuration in FIG. 1 in that the terminal wires k, l, m andn running in a layer beneath the terminals 10 are formed of an SD metal60 and the wires l and n do not have a contact hole for a wire forswitching, but otherwise is the same. FIG. 6 is a cross sectionaldiagram along line b-b in FIG. 1. In FIG. 6, the size and positionalrelationship of the terminals 10 and the bumps 310 of the IC driver 300are the same as in FIG. 4. Thus, the same effects as in the firstembodiment can be gained in the region TE.

Returning to FIG. 5, as described above, the TFT's 110 for inspectionare formed through the same process as the TFT's within the pixels.Accordingly, the source/drain electrodes of the TFT's 110 for inspectionare made of an SD metal 60. Here, the gate electrodes 112 of the TFT's110 for inspection that are connected to the terminal wires k, l, m andn are formed at the same time, and the TFT's 110 for inspection arestaggered in the alignment, and therefore, the wire winds through thegate electrodes 112. As a result, regions which overlap with theterminal wires k, l, m and n are as small as they can be, and thus theparasitic capacitance is lower.

The wires 150 for inspection run horizontally beneath the TFT's forinspection in the figure, so that they can supply a signal forinspecting wires for short-circuiting. The wires 150 for inspection areformed of a gate metal 50. The wires 150 for inspection formed of a gatemetal 50 switch to the source/drain electrodes of the TFT's forinspection formed of an SD metal 60 in the above described configurationusing contact holes. There are four wires 150 for inspection, forexample, which run horizontally in the figure. Thus, four wire circuitscan be inspected for short-circuiting. This is because in thisembodiment, two-layer wires of the gate metal 50 and the SD metal 60 areused for the terminal wires, and therefore, it is necessary to checkwires in the same layer and wires in different layers. Terminal wires kand m in the same layer, as well as terminal wires l and n in the samelayer, are checked for short-circuiting, as are terminal wires k and l,terminal wires l and m, and terminal wires m and n in different layers.All of the wires can be checked by repeating this. Accordingly, fourwires 150 for inspection makes it possible to check all of the terminalwires for short-circuiting.

Here, though the wires 150 for inspection in FIG. 5 run horizontally inthe figure with a constant width, they may bend, so that the area acrosswhich they cross the terminal wires 15 made of an SD metal 60 is smallerand their capacitance with the terminal wires is lower. In addition, asemiconductor layer can be made as an interlayer insulating film,together with the gate insulating film 55 m, between the terminal wires15 made of an SD metal 60 and the wires 150 for inspection made of agate metal 50, so that the capacitance is lower.

Fourth Embodiment

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 show the fourth embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 7 is a plan diagram showing the fourth embodiment. The upper halfof FIG. 7 shows a display region, and the lower half in the figure showsan end of the TFT substrate 100. FIG. 8 is a cross sectional diagramalong line b-b in FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a cross sectional diagram alongline C-C in FIG. 7. In this embodiment, the terminal wires 15 have aone-layer structure of a gate metal 50. In this case, there is no riskof there being any inaccuracy in the position of the mask for formingthe terminal wires 15, and therefore, the distance between adjacentterminals is smaller than in the configuration in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4,for example.

In FIG. 7, terminal wires k, l, m and n lead out from the display regionthrough the gate metal 50, and from among these, the terminal wires kand m are provided with a contact hole 41 for a terminal before enteringthe terminal portions. The portion of the terminal wires k and m inwhich a contact hole 41 for a terminal is created is wider. The portionsof the terminal wires k and m in which contact holes 41 for a terminalare created are slightly staggered in the direction in which theterminal wires 15 run in the arrangement. As shown in FIG. 8, theterminal wire m is formed of the gate metal 50 that runs from thedisplay region past the contact hole 41 for a terminal. The contact hole42 for a terminal is created in the gate insulating film 50 and thepassivation film 65 so as to expose part of the gate metal 50. Theterminals 10 are formed of an ITO 30 which covers the contact hole 41for a terminal and overlaps with the terminal wires 15 on the bottomside in the figure (the terminal portion side of the TFT substrate 100).The ITO 30 is formed so as to be wide in the region where the contactholes for a terminal are created and narrow in the region where theterminals 10 are formed. However, the ITO 30 is wider than the terminalwire 15 in the region where the terminals 10 are formed. The terminalwire k has the same structure. As a result, the terminals 10 of theterminal wires k and m are formed above the gate metal 50 with thepassivation film 65 in between in the portions connected to the bumps310 of the IC driver 300 (indicated by dot line frame in the figure).Here, the terminals 10 of the terminal wires k and m are staggered inthe arrangement in the upper half in the figure.

Meanwhile, the terminal wire l and the terminal wire n form terminals 10of ITO 30, which are aligned so as to be staggered in the lower half inthe figure, where the gate metal 50 running from the display regionoverlaps with the terminal wires 15 through contact holes 41 for aterminal. In this case, the ITO 30 is formed so as to overlap with theterminal wires 15 on the top side in the figure (on the display regionside) and the cross section along a terminal wire 15 is approximatelythe same as in FIG. 8.

Here, the portions of the terminal wires k and m which are adjacent tothe region of the terminal wires l and n where a contact hole 41 for aterminal is created are formed so as to bend, in order to avoidinterference with these regions. In addition, the portions of theterminal wires l and n which are adjacent to the region of the terminalwires k and m where a contact hole 41 for a terminal is created areformed so as to bend, in order to avoid interference with these regions.This is in order to position the adjacent terminal wires close to eachother.

In the case of this configuration also, FIG. 9, which is a crosssectional diagram along line c-c in FIG. 7, shows the same cross sectionas FIG. 4, and there is a larger margin for short-circuiting due toinaccuracy when an IC driver 300 is mounted. That is to say, neither thedistance XT between the ITO 30 on top of the terminal wire k (indicatedby 30 a in the figure) and the bump 310 adjacent to the bump 310 of theIC driver 300 connected to this ITO 30 a (indicated by 310 a in thefigure), nor the distance XT between the ITO 30 on top of the terminalwire m (indicated by 30 b in the figure) and the bump 310 a adjacent tothe bump 310 b of the IC driver 300 connected to this ITO 30 b is small,and thus, a maximal distance can be secured.

Here, though in this, fourth embodiment, the terminal wires 15 areformed of a gate metal 50, they may be made of an SD metal 60. In thecase where the terminal wires 15 are made of an SD metal 60, it is notnecessary to form switching portions when the structure allows theseterminal wires 15 to be connected to TFT's 110 for inspection (see FIG.5), and therefore, it is not necessary to secure an area for formingswitching portions.

The above descriptions are for a liquid crystal display device. However,the structure of the terminals 10 in other display devices, such asorganic EL display devices, is basically the same as in liquid crystaldisplay devices. Therefore, the present invention can be applied toother display devices as well, such as organic EL display devices.

Though the present invention is described using the above embodiments,the structures in these embodiments are merely examples, and variousmodifications are possible for the present invention, as long as thetechnical idea is not deviated from. In addition, the structures inthese embodiments may be combined for use, as long as they arecompatible.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display device, comprising: a substrate havinga display region so that signal lines formed within the display regionare connected to respective terminals in a terminal group formed outsidethe display region via terminal wires; and an IC driver having bumpsrespectively facing and being connected to the terminals via anisotropic conductive film; wherein the terminal wires have a firstterminal wire, a second terminal wire, a third terminal wire, and afourth terminal wire, the terminals have a first terminal connected tothe first terminal wire, a second terminal connected to the secondterminal wire, a third terminal connected to the third terminal wire,and a fourth terminal connected to the fourth terminal wire, the firstterminal and the second terminal are staggered with respect to eachother, the second terminal and the third terminal are staggered withrespect to each other, and the third terminal and the fourth terminalare staggered with respect to each other; wherein the first terminal,the second terminal, the third terminal, and the fourth terminalrespectively have a wide portion and a narrow portion which is narrowerthan the wide portion, the first terminal and the third terminal areadjacent to each other in the direction perpendicular to the directionin which the terminal wires run, the second terminal and the fourthterminal are adjacent to each other in the direction perpendicular tothe direction in which the terminal wires run; wherein the firstterminal, the second terminal, the third terminal, and the fourthterminal are formed of a transparent conductive film; wherein the bumpsof the IC driver have a first bump connected to the first terminal viathe isotropic conductive film, a second pump connected to the secondterminal via the isotropic conductive film, a third bump connected tothe third terminal via the isotropic conductive film, and a fourth bumpconnected to the fourth terminal via the isotropic conductive film; thesubstrate includes the display region, a first region comprising the ICdriver, the terminal wires, the terminals, and the bumps of the ICdriver, a second region comprising TFT switches for inspection, and athird region comprising inspection wires; wherein the display region,the first region, the second region, and the third region are arrangedin this order; wherein the TFT switches for inspection include a firstTFT switch for inspection connected to the first terminal wire, a secondTFT switch for inspection connected to the second terminal wire, a thirdTFT switch for inspection connected to the third terminal wire, a fourthTFT switch for inspection connected to the fourth terminal wire; andwherein the inspection wires include a first inspection wireelectrically connected to the first TFT switch, a second inspection wireelectrically connected to the second TFT switch, a third inspection wireelectrically connected to the third TFT switch, and a fourth inspectionwire electrically connected to the fourth TFT switch.
 2. The displaydevice according to claim 1, wherein the terminal wires are formed inthe same layer.
 3. The display device according to claim 1, wherein theterminal wires are formed of a gate metal.
 4. The display deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the terminal wires are formed of a SDmetal.
 5. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the wideportion of the first terminal and the wide portion of the third terminalare staggered with respect to each other, the narrow portion of thefirst terminal and the narrow portion of the third terminal arestaggered with respect to each other, the wide portion of the secondterminal and the wide portion of the fourth terminal are staggered withrespect to each other, and the narrow portion of the second terminal andthe narrow portion of the fourth terminal are staggered with respecteach other.
 6. The display device according to claim 5, wherein each ofthe first terminal wire, the second terminal wire, the third terminalwire, and the fourth terminal wire has a first portion and a secondportion which is narrower than the first portion; and wherein the wideportion of the first terminal is connected to the first portion of thefirst terminal wire via a first contact hole, the narrow portion of thefirst terminal overlaps the second portion of the first terminal wire,the wide portion of the second terminal is connected to the firstportion of the second terminal wire via a second contact hole, thenarrow portion of the second terminal overlaps the second portion of thesecond terminal wire, the wide portion of the third terminal isconnected to the first portion of the third terminal wire via a thirdcontact hole, the narrow portion of the third terminal overlaps thesecond portion of the third terminal wire, the wide portion of thefourth terminal is connected to the first portion of the fourth terminalwire via a fourth contact hole, and the narrow portion of the fourthterminal overlaps the second portion of the fourth terminal wire.
 7. Thedisplay device according to claim 1, wherein the transparent conductivefilm is formed of ITO.
 8. The display device according to claim 1,wherein the third region has a first predetermined wire connected to thefirst inspection wire and the first terminal wire, a secondpredetermined wire connected to the second inspection wire and thesecond terminal wire, a third predetermined wire connected to the thirdinspection wire and the third terminal wire, and a fourth predeterminedwire connected to the fourth inspection wire and the fourth terminalwire; and wherein the first, second, third and fourth inspection wiresextend in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the terminalwires run, and the first, second, third and fourth predetermined wiresextend in the direction in which the terminal wires run.